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<p>In 2001, South Korea launched the Korean National Nanotechnology Initiative (KNNI), following the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative, to establish itself as a global leader in nanotechnology. The KNNI emphasized interdisciplinary research between the natural sciences and engineering, aiming to foster high-value industries and boost national competitiveness. This paper critically examines the impact of KNNI, focusing on how it reshaped the discipline of physics and influenced the relationships between universities, industry, and government. Nanotechnology became a vehicle for institutionalizing interdisciplinary research within South Korea’s national R&amp;D policies, transforming physics from a primarily teaching-focused field to one closely aligned with industrial needs. The paper explores the structural changes that occurred at three levels: research institutions, subfields within physics, and the research programs within those subfields. It argues that interdisciplinarity in Korea, conceptualized through the term Yunghap (meaning fusion), was less about dialogue between fields and more about merging disciplines to serve industry. The paper traces how KNNI catalyzed shifts in research priorities, participation in national R&amp;D programs, and the institutional landscape of Korean physics, ultimately weaving university research more closely with industry.</p>

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Interdisciplinarity as Fusion: Korean National Nanotechnology Initiative and Changes in Physics in South Korea

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月2日

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  • Sangwoon Yoo

摘要

In 2001, South Korea launched the Korean National Nanotechnology Initiative (KNNI), following the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative, to establish itself as a global leader in nanotechnology. The KNNI emphasized interdisciplinary research between the natural sciences and engineering, aiming to foster high-value industries and boost national competitiveness. This paper critically examines the impact of KNNI, focusing on how it reshaped the discipline of physics and influenced the relationships between universities, industry, and government. Nanotechnology became a vehicle for institutionalizing interdisciplinary research within South Korea’s national R&D policies, transforming physics from a primarily teaching-focused field to one closely aligned with industrial needs. The paper explores the structural changes that occurred at three levels: research institutions, subfields within physics, and the research programs within those subfields. It argues that interdisciplinarity in Korea, conceptualized through the term Yunghap (meaning fusion), was less about dialogue between fields and more about merging disciplines to serve industry. The paper traces how KNNI catalyzed shifts in research priorities, participation in national R&D programs, and the institutional landscape of Korean physics, ultimately weaving university research more closely with industry.